Lerato Mbhiza
President Cyril Ramaphosa was speaking at the anti-corruption dialogue in Boksburg where he reported that so far nine separate cases, involving 47 individuals and 21 companies, have been brought to court and freezing orders amounting to R14 billion have been authorised by the Asset Forfeiture Unit and a total of R5.4 billion has been recovered and returned to the State.
Ramaphosa said government departments, municipalities, and professional bodies were taking disciplinary action against individuals identified by the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council as part of its mandate to provide advice on the implementation of the policy and institutional reforms contained in the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.
The President pointed out that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) has collected R4.9 billion in unpaid taxes as a result of evidence brought before the State Capture Commission.
“While there is a long road ahead, the fight against corruption is gaining momentum. This dialogue is a valuable opportunity to mobilise all key stakeholders behind this effort, from civil society, business, and labour to academia, government, and political parties.
“We meet here as diverse constituencies, but with a common purpose. We are here to identify the further measures we need to take to build a South Africa that does not allow for corruption or capture. We are here to strengthen our shared determination to build an ethical society founded on the values of our democratic Constitution,” Ramaphosa added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa concurred with the sentiments that there should be accountability but said interfering in corruption probes is not in his mandate as the first citizen.
However, he warned that If corruption is not arrested, the greatest damage will not be in the funds stolen, the jobs lost or the services not delivered. But the greatest damage will be in the belief in democracy itself.
“It is therefore our shared responsibility, as we celebrate 30 years of democracy, to build a society in which corruption has no place. To do so, we must challenge the contention that corruption is a creation of our democratic order. Corruption in South Africa has much deeper roots”.
Ramaphosa continues to bombarded by calls from legislators to see the
through the recommendations of the State Capture from the Zondo Commision of Enquiry into State Capture report released over a year ago.
The report details more than 200 recommendations on criminal investigations and the possible prosecution of people implicated in stealing State funds.
Ramaphosa said that over the last five years, the government has invested significant resources to rebuild the law enforcement agencies and other bodies that were devastated by State Capture.
“While there is a long road ahead, the fight against corruption is gaining momentum.”
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